I was at work when I was approached by three handicap children in wheelchairs assisted by caretakers. These children were in a state of complete dependence; I glanced at them while I interacted with their caretakers and all I could say was Alhamdulilah (All Praise is to God) over and over again.

This is when the thought of, if I were to thank Allah for everything He has given me I would not be able to even if I spent all day and night for the rest of my life, entered my head.

I am a critic and I believe I constructively criticize in hope of seeing a better future. But, I and many of us who strive to improve the future should also stop and think of what we have and be grateful for it.

“But if you count the favours of Allah, never will you be able to number them.” [Sûrah Ibrâhîm: 34]

 

Forgive Me When I Whine - Zain Bhikha

  “There’s one in every family. Two in mine, actually. And they always manage to ruin special occasions.”
 –Zazu, The Lion King

Ah, Zazu.  In all your wisdomocity, one would think you wouldn’t say something quite so vain and awful. But who could blame you? Scar really was a horrible uncle and brother. He was selfish, rude, unjust – all the qualities of a bad, bad kitty. This is all not to mention the negative influence he had on those around him; everyone from the hyenas to innocent little Simba himself. Surely this means you have a right to complain, right?

We’re constantly faced by challenges in life, there’s no denying that. Though people may offer you explanations as to why these things happen, this is often just a comfort mechanism used to justify things in or against your favour. The fact of the matter is that everything- good, bad and otherwise- is from Allah SWT. So it is silly, and I daresay it is dangerous, to attribute happenings to anything but Allah SWT. I say this not because events don’t have immediate rational reasons behind them, but because in the grand scheme of things, they mean much more than we’ll ever know or understand. You failing your courses at university is because you didn’t work hard enough, but in the long run, it might turn out that you were destined to become an all-star cricket player. Tawhid is the very ground that Islam is built upon and the principles underlying this are firstly the belief that there is no god but Allah SWT and secondly, the belief in predestination. This means that as Muslims, we cannot afford to ask “why me”, particularly not about things completely out of our control. Allah SWT wanted it to happen, so it did. This doesn’t mean we can stop working hard because things will take care of themselves, but it does mean that if misfortune befalls us, by our own doing or otherwise, it’s only by Allah’s Will.

It’s so easy to say and so hard to practice – this I know. Especially when the things that make us ask “whyyy, oh why, oh why” are people; human beings we have to deal with for whatever reason that make even simple interactions absolutely dreadful. I think the worst of this is when the people are your family. I mean we all have ups and downs with our relatives but some of us have cousins who never call, uncles who refuse to bathe and grandmothers who have been trying to marry us off since we were 10. It’s trying. But as with everything else in life, it is in the remembrance of Allah SWT that our hearts can find rest.  Now one might ask how remembering Allah SWT will make their uncle shower, but that’s not the point. If we choose to see a lot of negative aspects in people and become frustrated with them, we overlook all the hidden mercies that bearing them tolerantly brings. It’s like Buckley’s cough syrup; it tastes awful, but it works. In a similar vein, your grandmother constantly bringing you photos of new suitors when you’re not ready for marriage is extremely distasteful. But imagine how quickly you’ll develop patience and respect for elders! Something as simple as saying bismillah before you talk to her will make your whole engagement with her beneficial in this life and the next, inshAllah.

Our families were bound to us; we did not choose them. Heck, we didn’t even ask for them. However, loving them for the sake of Allah SWT is our responsibility. They have rights over us as Muslims and more rights over us by blood. It’s helpful, then, to fulfill our duties by trying to see all our kin as a part of our immutable fate. We couldn’t have had anything else because this is what Allah SWT wanted for us. If we truly believe in the Mercy and Wisdom of Allah SWT, it quickly becomes irrelevant if our personalities clash with those around us. He has put them before us out of His Infinite Mercy and all we have to see is how. How could this really be a blessing in disguise? Then, if we were to become attuned to the idea that whatever will be, will be…Well wouldn’t that make things a lot easier? Love it or hate it; it’s yours. Mmmm, might as well love it.

So when Scar says “Life’s not fair, is it? You see I, well I, shall never be king…” I say woe unto you, Scar! Life is as fair as we make it. If we learn to love our fate by virtue of loving Allah SWT, then unfairness is our own misconstrued reading of life because everything is from Him and He is the Fairest of Judges.

WAllahu Alim.

Scene 1:  You’re walking down the street, trying to keep track of how many subhanAllahs you’ve said since you left Sid Smith when sub-han-ALLAH, is that Maryam standing on the street corner talking to that foreign brother who just joined the MSA? What is agwan…  You were going to say salaam, but maybe you should just keep walking.

Scene 2: You’ve just entered Bahen and you head to the bathroom to make wudu. As you walk out, you see Aisha standing by the doors next to the prayer space, clearly done praying, and now just chatting up the whole jamaat. You tut, tut and head in to make your nawafil before this young lady engages you in conversation.

Scene 3: You’re scanning the premises to see if you can find a brother around to go grab a bite with when suddenly- Hey! Anas! And who? Halima? What the ham! Maybe you should eat alone today.

Scene 4: You walk in late to class – as per usual. You look for your best bro, Musa, and discover he’s settled for a seat next to Amina – as per usual. Man, it’s time to find some new friends.

Scene 5: You had a really late night and while waking up for Fajr is second nature to you, staying up is not your forte. So you collapse into a deep rest and mama, feeling sorry for your long day yesterday, decides to let you sleep in a bit. At 11:32 your cat begins to caress your face with his 4 inch nails and you jerk out of bed realizing you’ve got class at 12. Of course the TTC fails you, and now you’ve missed another lecture. But lucky you! That girl Maryam, who has Stats with you, is approaching. She’s more than happy to stop and let you know that the prof said your assignment deadline has been extended until next week. Thank goodness you saw her!

Now it’s Dhuhr time so you go to Bahen to pray and alhamdulilah, you find all your buddies ready to do the same. After prayer, you guys are heading out when a younger sister, Aisha, calls out to your group. As you all turn obediently, you learn that your friend Zain – her older brother- forgot his dinner at home that morning. He’s fasting, so she asks if one of you has class with him that night and if you could please pass on this container of palow, jazakAllah.

Smelling that rice makes you super hungry but your friends all depart because they have a soccer game to play – soccer’s not your thing. You walk into Robarts’ food court and spot Halima, who is a family friend and whose father you heard recently passed away. You head over to give your condolences and see how the family’s doing before grabbing food.

Wanting to seize the first opportunity for change, you decide to get to your next class early. Apparently everyone else has done the same, too, and there are only two seats left. Seeing that one of these seats is next to sister Amina you decide to sit over there because you realize that your friend Salman hasn’t arrived yet and since he’s allergic to curry powder and Amina always smells like curry powder, you decide to take one for the team and let him have the other seat. Okay, okay this one was for comic relief – forgive me.

Inter-gender relations – the topic of this article- have been the topic of my life for the past year or so. Islamic rules on the matter are very plain and indisputable, but I often find myself in a mess of hypocrisy because while I really don’t believe that boys and girls can ever be friends, I’m time and again in a position where we’ll behave as such. This is frustrating enough for the sole reason that it’s not what Allah SWT has ordained for us and His pleasure is what we aim for in everything we do. To add to it, it is uber awkward. And why shouldn’t it be; we’re supposed to be able to feel shame and remorse innately. So it comes as no great surprise, then, that being in a ‘hanging out with my friend’-type atmosphere with a member of the opposite sex might lead to thinking “what the heck am I doing here…”

But I’m not one to see negativity as an impediment to growth; I’d much rather utilize it as fertilizer. As the old saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

So here’s my solution, and it may seem outlandish but I think it’ll work. First and most crucially, I make du’a that Allah SWT give me and all of us the tawfiq to be ever-conscious of our conversations and our selves, ameen. If we, as brothers and sisters, don’t absolutely need to talk to each other, let’s not. Vain speech is undesirable no matter who you’re talking to, anyway, so this should be good practice.

Next, I will try to remember that while Allah SWT is watching us all the time and although His opinion of us is most important, He has the ability to judge our intentions – others don’t. So I intend to bear in mind as much as possible how unnatural and out of place it really looks to the outside eye when I’m, oh, I don’t know,  standing on a street corner laughing with a group of brothers. Not because I have a fear of my reputation catching up with me but because the mu’min is a mirror for another mu’min. We must do good to encourage others to do good. Upholding a noble character outwardly is as important as doing so inwardly.  In doing this, inshAllah, my feelings of being absurdly misplaced when spending unnecessary time in the company of brothers will become a productive motivation to just, stop.

As an aside note, I also refuse to judge anyone, brothers and sisters alike, for their apparent engagement in this fitnah. Reason being that today it’s Maryam and tomorrow it may be me. As the various scenarios show, we shouldn’t play judge and assume the worst of our people. If you can have a valid explanation, why can’t he? Seriously, wouldn’t it blow to have people think all the awful things that you think about them, about you? Think about it. Or actually- don’t.

WAllahu Alim.
Some awesome relevant videos:

Acceptance, or at the very least, tolerance of difference is something that we would think is widespread. The more I think about this, the more I feel that we under-appreciate the value of difference. As I was reading Quran a few days ago, I came across the translation of aaya 13 of sura Al-Hujurat:

"O mankind! We created you from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that you may know and honor each other (not that you should despise one another). Indeed the most honorable of you in the sight of God is the most righteous." (Quran, 49:13).

I felt that this aaya alone held the answer to innumerable problems that exist in our society today. The wise words written in the Quran are, unfortunately, often limited in context when it comes to application in our daily lives, but what we fail to realize is that the words in the Quran are written to be applicable in our lives – today, and every day. We ignore that humanity is a factor that unites us all, but we constantly remind ourselves of the small differences we have between ourselves and others.  These differences can vary in contexts that range from social status to race and from gender to culture. Some attributes such as race and gender are innate, and others such as social status and cultural ‘tribes’ are man-made. All are given some level of importance in the societies we live in, or the values that are held in some of our countries back home.

We as human beings are often keen on emphasizing the differences between ourselves and others, whether it be to make ourselves feel superior, or to distinguish “ourselves” from the “others”, whoever they may be.  What we do not realize is that like it is stated in the Quran 49:13, Allah has created different nations and tribes not so we make some superior and label others as inferior, but so that we could learn from one another. We should always take the good from anything new or different to us and leave the bad. The last part of the aforementioned aaya emphasizes the fact that the most honourable of you (us, humans) in the sight of God is the most righteous. This makes it clear that people are judged according to their righteous deeds and the emaan, not from which nation or tribe one comes from.

We can make as many differences as we want between one another, and we can claim to be superior or make others inferior, but we need to keep in mind that Allah swt is the one who is ultimately going to judge us, and the ones that we may knowingly, or unknowingly oppress. Issues relating to this are visible in so many spheres including those of international politics, wars, and on a different scale, when it comes to building families (ie: marriage) and creating social ties. These are unfortunate affairs which are a sad reality in our world today. The more I think, the more saddened I am. I pray that Allah swt gives us all hidayat (guidance) and makes us all better human beings. We should love the creation of the Creator, the Almighty, and this will make us one step closer to strengthening our emaan and improving our character.

Tolerance and acceptance of what may be unappealing merely because it is different is something that we must reconsider next time we come across it.

In Islam intentions play a huge role and any action can become a means of reward if done for the sake of Allah.

For example, if I were to go out and play basketball with the intention that I will become stronger and will do good with my strength I will accumulate reward for playing. For the same event I could also go with the intention to increase my brotherly bond with the people I am playing with and this would also be an intention that would grant me reward. The same thing done with no intention will reap me no reward.

 Such a task that would in no way seem religious can become a means of salvation for a Muslim because we do not know which deed of ours will lead us to paradise. Therefore, we should make good intention for the sake of Allah with every deed we do no matter what it is.

What is beautiful is that one attains reward the moment a good intention is made. What is even greater is that one still receives reward even if the action is not carried through.  The same is not applied to when a bad intention is made; one only acquires sin when the sinful action is committed.

So, don’t wait or hesitate let the good intentions begin!

*Reward here is reward with Allah (God).

For the first ten years of my life I was under the impression that all Muslims were the same. In my naïve mind, we all believed the same things, prayed the same way, lived by the same rulings and of course, we ate the same meat. Though I was aware of varying degrees of orthodoxy, I was flabbergasted when I saw Muslim boys and girls eating chicken from McDonald’s for the first time. As most of you will know, this is a topic that’s been disputed over one too many hamburgers. Well, I don’t want to beat a dead horse. So I won’t! What I will do, however, is recommend that everyone, eating “halal-halal” or otherwise, check out this lecture.

Not too long ago, I was blessed with a reference to www.sacredlearning.org  to listen to Shaykh Husain Abdul Sattar’s lectures. Of his many, many topics I’ve chosen to write about his lecture entitled “Eating Pure”. Addressing the issue of what constitutes halal meat, Shaykh Sattar delivers a thorough, logical explanation that, to me, leaves no room for doubt. He begins by reminding us that all of our body parts, having submitted to Allah swt, are to attest to this fact- down to the taste bud.  Our hands, feet, mouths and tongues should all be in harmony with the Will of their Creator and so it only makes sense that we have rigorous guidelines on how to please Him. “Eating Pure” presents several well-formulated arguments backed up by analyses of authentic ahadith which pertain to the matter. I realize that above I may have lead you to believe that I have always been biased because I don’t think that meat from McDonald’s or any other uncertified place is okay for us to eat. However, this is not the case. After delving into the topic out of sheer interest, I was faced by many scholars of the opinion that the ayah in the Qur’an which discerns the difference between halal and haram meat (“Forbidden to you for food are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah...”to the end of the ayah, 5:3) is subject to debate and so the general attitude towards the matter is  one of “do as you see fit but stay away from pork”. Well, I’m not a scholar but I can tell you that even of those who do appreciate this more liberal reading of the ayah, few (if any) would eat anything but certified halal meat themselves. So even though I, too, understood where the debate originated and still refrain from judging anyone who does eat not-so halal meat, I wouldn’t do it myself. Which brings me to my next point; Shaykh Husain takes a very one-sided approach which to me is the only effective kind. Sure, different perspectives and suggestions are pathways to true understanding but if we reside on those variable courses forever, our destination becomes only an estimation of the truth. With regards to meat this is a very broad estimation and “Eating Pure” is a clear, concise proof of why that’s simply not enough.

I’d like to conclude by praying that anyone who is confused about this subject be given an open mind to receive the message of this lecture, and that Allah swt bless us all with the ability and strength to implement His deen, ameen. Also, always bear in mind this ayah at times of confusion: “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things” (2:256).

WAllahu Alim.

http://www.sacredlearning.org/general-talks/category  (Be sure to check out other lectures too!)

   

Living in a world full of fitnah and constant hardships, we must never fail to remember that our existence on this earth is a means of us being tested. In numerous suras throughout the Quran, mankind is reminded that we are all to be tested through various means.

In sura Baqarah, it is stated, “Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere” (2:155).

Another clear indication of our test is in sura Kahf "That which is on earth We have made but as a glittering show for the earth, in order that We may test them--as to which of them are best in conduct" (18: 7).

The last example I will illustrate, is another one of the many ayat in the Quran that discuss the virtue of patience. In sura Muhammad, Allah reiterates that we will be tested: “And We shall try you until We test those among you who strive their utmost and persevere in patience; and We shall try your reported (mettle)” (47:31).

All of us may come to some point in our lives where we are sick and tired of the trials and tests we constantly face, and start to have negative impulses. We may face problems relating to finances, family, health or education and may feel that everything is going wrong for us. As believers, what is most important for us to remember is that whatever we are being put through is occurring in accordance with the Will of the Almighty. Instead of losing hope or being pessimistic, one must remember to exercise patience (sabr), and expect reward (ajr) for it if not in this world, in the hereafter.

Allah (swt) says in sura Baqarah “On no soul does Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray:) “Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which You did lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us.  You are our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith” (2:286).

I would like to close with a verse from sura Hud which promises great reward to those who are patient in adversity, “Not so do those who show patience and constancy, and work righteousness; for them is forgiveness (of sins) and a great reward” (11:11).

The Quran is a treasure given to us by the Almighty that we often fail to discover. It is made for all people of all times, and is a guide that will take us through both high and low times. The ayat mentioned above are a few of the many in the Quran that are revealed on the issues of being tested and having patience. We need to constantly remind ourselves that our Creator, the Almighty, Allah (swt) loves and tests his creation. The harder our test, the stronger the faith is required…and having said that, we must remember that the stronger our faith, the harder our test will be. We may not always be able to see the check and balance system right away, but we must remember that the Allah (swt) does what is best and that as His creation, we must strive to be our best and live in accordance with the commands of the Almighty.

We’ve all heard our parents repeatedly tell us the benefit of keeping good company. As annoyed as we may be by this sometimes, most of us know that our character is inevitably shaped by our friends and the people we associate with. We often take such advice to heart when it offers us some worldly benefit: we stick by the smart kids when its exam season and talk of “networking” when discussing our career ambitions.
 
In the midst of all of that, we too often forget what friendship means to our religious goals. In the same way a friend can remind you about a test, they can remind you about an opportunity to seek reward from Allah (SWT). Perhaps more importantly, simply associating with someone that is upon the path of Allah in itself commands reward.

In the Islamic tradition, we understand that friendship plays an especially pivotal role; the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is perhaps best understood in the relationships he had with his sahaba or companions. The hadith of the Messenger (pbuh), which Muslims understand to be divinely-inspired guiding principles, often took the form of friendly advice. From the following three hadiths we can derive a few basic lessons about friendship, specifically how to choose, treat, and benefit from their company:
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The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “A man is upon the religion of his friend, and there is no good in friendship with one who does not see for you what he sees for himself.” From this, we gain

“Help your brother whether he is a wrong-doer or is wronged. A man enquired: 'O Messenger of Allah (pbuh), I may help him when he is wronged, but how can I help him when he is a wrong-doer? ' The Prophet (pbuh) said 'You can prevent him from wrong-doing. That will be your help to him.’”

“A good and a bad companion are like the bearer of musk and the one who pumps out filth respectively. As for the bearer of musk, he will either give you a share, you will smell perfumed air, or you will purchase something from him as for one who pumps out filth, he will either burn your clothes or you will smell something filthy from him.”

We live in a society that glorifies gossiping and thrives on spreading rumours. Magazines, tell-all books, websites and entire TV shows are dedicated to this business. Let’s face it: it works. People spend time and money to know what their favourite (and least favourite) celebrities have been up to. Everybody who is anybody has to be “in-the-know” of who- did- what and why. The funny thing is we can all acknowledge that the sources of this information are rarely credible. Yet we still pay them attention and remain in awe of their incredulous accusations.

On a large-scale, this is not seen as a problem. How could it possibly matter what little 13 year-old Tina knows about Britney Spears’ personal life? Why should it be a big deal that money is being made at the cost of someone’s privacy? After all, isn’t this what celebrities sign up for? The argument is fair. Anyone who chooses to go into the entertainment industry is making a living of being well-known, so people will know them, and will know them well. Though I don’t condone this kind of behavior or believe that it is any less a form of backbiting and slandering than any other, I want to focus on the effects this can have on a micro-scale.

I am convinced that hearsay has become so deeply embedded in our lives that we have become numb to it. We engage in idle chatter so frequently and with such little consciousness that it’s difficult to say when we’re really breaking the rules. Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) said :"Do you know what backbiting is?" They said, "God and His Messenger know best." He then said, "It is to say something about your brother that he would dislike." Someone asked him, "But what if what I say is true?" The Messenger of God (S.A.W.) said, "If what you say about him is true, you are backbiting him, but if it is not true then you have slandered him." (Muslim) There are many things we can say about a person, not knowing if he would mind that we said it. For example, if someone mentioned wanting to buy a new car but did not explicitly ask you not to tell anyone, you have no way of knowing whether or not he would mind if you shared the information. Perhaps if you tell someone he wants a new car, they will think you’re saying he’s a show-off or extravagant in his spending. Hence, there is a subtle implication in this hadith that we should avoid talking about one another in most cases. Silence is honoured in most faiths as it avoids erring and so we should strive to be quiet when we are uncertain. We should also remain in constant awareness of the truth of what we’re saying. It really is enough for a person to be a liar that he repeats everything that he hears. Behold, you received it on your tongues, and said out of your mouths things of which you had no knowledge; and you thought it to be a light matter, while it was most serious in the sight of God (24: 15). Relating back to rumours about celebrities, ask yourself: “Is there any way that I can be certain that this is true?” If not, why bother indulging in falsities? The more we accept less-than-true claims, the less honest we ourselves become, and what is a person without their word? "When man wakes up in the morning each day, all parts of the body warn the tongue saying, ‘Fear God as regards us for we are at your mercy; if you are upright, we will be upright and if you are crooked, we become crooked." (At-Tirmidhee) Here we’re reminded that what we say shapes our character. If our speech is good, we will inshAllah be good, too.

Lastly, I want to touch upon the idea of benevolence. We all have our judgments about one another and our beliefs that we know why people do what they do. Many a time, these aren’t good or even right. We convince ourselves that because we “know” a person, we “know how he works” and we “know how he thinks”. We should remember that actually, no one knows these things except Allah swt, often not even the person himself. I have a proposal. Let’s aim to either a) not assume a person’s intentions or b) give them the benefit of the doubt. If anyone is doing anything or accused of doing anything that could possibly be seen in a positive light, let’s see them in that light. Similarly, if anyone is doing anything that cannot be seen in a positive light, let’s remain silent about it. If they are being accused of anything that is overtly wrong, our advice is clear: Why then, did not the believers, men and women, when you heard it (the slander), think good of their own people and say: “This charge is an obvious lie?” (24:12). Let us all think good of our people as we would like our people to think of us. Also, let’s remember that in reality, there is nothing glorious or laudable about people who are ever-aware of the business of others. In fact, it’s rather unbecoming and ungraceful. We’ve all overheard backbiting being done by others and I’m sure no one’s impressed by it. Keep in mind that we, too, sound like that when we say nasty things about each other. In school, and in university in particular, we’re taught to filter information before consuming it. We’re told not to believe everything we read and to always look closely at our sources. It is my humble opinion that we need to let this kind of mentality seep into our everyday affairs as well. We all fall prey to our inclinations and this is foremost a reminder to myself. If you do say something regrettable about a person, repent to Allah swt and follow it up by saying something praiseworthy about them. The person may not hear you, but Allah swt will.

                United we stand, divided we fall. The following is the Amman Message:

                            In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
   May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad and his pure and noble family.

(1) Whosoever is an adherent to one of the four Sunni schools (Mathahib) of Islamic jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi`i and Hanbali), the two Shi’i schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Ja`fari and Zaydi), the Ibadi school of Islamic jurisprudence and the Thahiri school of Islamic jurisprudence, is a Muslim. Declaring that person an apostate is impossible and impermissible. Verily his (or her) blood, honour, and property are inviolable. Moreover, in accordance with the Shaykh Al-Azhar’s fatwa, it is neither possible nor permissible to declare whosoever subscribes to the Ash`ari creed or whoever practices real Tasawwuf (Sufism) an apostate. Likewise, it is neither possible nor permissible to declare whosoever subscribes to true Salafi thought an apostate. 
            
Equally, it is neither possible nor permissible to declare as apostates any group of Muslims who believes in God, Glorified and Exalted be He, and His Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him) and the pillars of faith, and acknowledges the five pillars of Islam, and does not deny any necessarily self-evident tenet of religion.

(2) There exists more in common between the various schools of Islamic jurisprudence than there is difference between them. The adherents to the eight schools of Islamic jurisprudence are in agreement as regards the basic principles of Islam. All believe in Allah (God), Glorified and Exalted be He, the One and the Unique; that the Noble Qur’an is the Revealed Word of God; and that our master Muhammad, may blessings and peace be upon him, is a Prophet and Messenger unto all mankind. All are in agreement about the five pillars of Islam: the two testaments of faith (shahadatayn); the ritual prayer (salat); almsgiving (zakat); fasting the month of Ramadan (sawm), and the Hajj to the sacred house of God (in Mecca). All are also in agreement about the foundations of belief: belief in Allah (God), His angels, His scriptures, His messengers, and in the Day of Judgment, in Divine Providence in good and in evil. Disagreements between the ‘ulama (scholars) of the eight schools of Islamic jurisprudence are only with respect to the ancillary branches of religion (furu`) and not as regards the principles and fundamentals (usul) [of the religion of Islam]. Disagreement with respect to the ancillary branches of religion (furu`) is a mercy. Long ago it was said that variance in opinion among the ‘ulama(scholars) “is a good affair”.

(3) Acknowledgement of the schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Mathahib) within Islam means adhering to a fundamental methodology in the issuance of fatwas: no one may issue a fatwa without the requisite personal qualifications which each school of Islamic jurisprudence determines [for its own adherents]. No one may issue a fatwa without adhering to the methodology of the schools of Islamic jurisprudence. No one may claim to do unlimited Ijtihad and create a new school of Islamic jurisprudence or to issue unacceptable fatwas that take Muslims out of the principles and certainties of theShari`ah and what has been established in respect of its schools of jurisprudence.

Original Message posted at: 
http://ammanmessage.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=91&Itemid=74

List of Endorsements: 
http://ammanmessage.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=31